The 1st Step       Hockey Classif...       NHL A.S.S.I.S.T.       Where to Play?       Training Camp       Straight Facts       Junior B       Prep School       Junior A       Major Junior       Bantam Draft       NCAA Div. I       NCAA Div. III       CIAU       CDN College       After College       Europe       Being Drafted       AHL/IHL       NHL       Retirement
	Retirement. It sounds like a funny topic to be covered under career paths but what we at DavidSport have come to realize is that the one staple in every player's career is retirement. There is no denying it or hiding from it. Retirement is an issue that we all will face.       Some of us may retire when we're twenty, others twenty-five, some as late as forty. The reality is that no matter what age you choose, you will retire from competitive hockey. Statistics show that for the lucky few who turn professional, the average number of years that a player will play at the professional level is four. That leaves you with quite a few years without hockey and the income that it provides. For those who don't end up playing professionally, you are left with even more years without it.       The focus of this article is meant to make you aware that life after hockey does exist. Through making you aware of this, our hope is that you'll begin to prepare yourself accordingly. That means to plan for life without hockey; have a game plan; find things that interest you; take classes; get summer work experience. Whatever it is that you choose to do, start now, continue to do it, and when it comes time to make your transition, it won't be as tough, and more importantly, you won't be caught unprepared.       The PHPA (Professional Hockey Players Association), who represents the AHL and ECHL, have started a program called "The Career Enhancement Program." The purpose of this program is to help professional hockey players prepare for life after hockey. This program should act as a wake-up call to all players, because what it says to us is that it's important even at the professional level. When I was playing in the ECHL, we had a PHPA representative come and talk to our hockey team. He told us that there has been an overwhelming response to the program. He then read to us a few of the stories that professional players had written explaining why they were interested in the program. One of the stories was written by a twenty-one year old first round draft pick. Now, our question to you is this: If a twenty-one year old first round draft pick is concerned with life after hockey, shouldn't we all be?
a project © 1999 DavidSport Inc. All Rights Reserved.